Floodchek's 20 year guaranteee- Is it a scam?

Floodchek hoses aren't the type that restricts the flow of water if something goes wrong. I've read enough complaints about those hoses to know to avoid those.

Instead, floodchek hoses claim that they're better made and more durable than the standard rubber hoses or stainless steel braided hoses. But, has anybody really had any problems with their stainless steel braided hoses?

As proof that floodchek hoses are superior, floodcheck says that guarantee their hoses for 20 years while rubber hoses need to be replaced every 3-5 years.

But, when you carefully read floodchek's guaranty, it actually states, ""They're guaranteed for 20 years, or the life of the washing machine."

But, this is a scam, right? No washing machine nowadays is going to last 20 years. My previous washing machine was only 6 years when it broke down, and I needed to get a new one.

So, if floodchek guaranty really covers the life of the washing machine, which inevitably will be much shorter than 20 years, this 20 year warranty is pretty much meaningless.

These kind of warranties usually have a catch to them if you read your product warranty. Belkin makes a line of electrical surge suppressors. They guarantee against failure with $5,000, $10,000, and even $20,000 worth of protection.

BUT if you read the fine print it clearly states that they will pay ONLY AFTER your own insurance pays. And if you don't have any insurance they won't pay either. But it makes for nice advertising on the outside of their products boxes!

When it comes to protection against floods, I'd always err on the side of caution.

Does anybody know if we also need to change the stainless steel braided hoses too like we do with the rubber ones? And, if so, how often do they need to be switched out? Is it every five years like rubber hose ones?

I say ignore the marketing warranty hype. Have you ever held one of these things? They scream quality and durability. "Proof" that the other hoses fail is the fact that burst washing machine hoses are the #2 reason (behind fridge ice maker leaks) for causing massive water damage claims in the home. I mean come on. We spend thousands on the appliances, so what is 60-70 bucks on hoses that could save your house from being destroyed and ruining your home owners policy?

The problem with the marketing warranty hype is that while these hoses might be more durable, we still don't know how long they'll really last. Should I change them every 7 years, 10 years, 15 years, or 20 years?

They might give the consumer a false confidence about never checking or replacing those hoses till its too late. At least, with rubber hoses, we know we should replace them every 5 years.

And, according to This Old House, they also recommended changing the stainless steel hoses every 5 years too because washing machine hoses are more vulnerable than other hoses in the house.

It might be safer to just replace your washing machines every 5 years than to get floodchek hoses when we have no idea when we should replace the floodchek hoses.

Floodchek hoses were developed owed to dealing with property maintenance (see the lower page-half of the page the following link: Floodchek). If you have ever dealt with commercial properties it makes perfect sense that the inventor simply chose to go the industrial hose and coupling route--which is what he did.

Anyone can locate industrial hose and coupling businesses and have these hoses made to their specifications and I don't doubt they will last twenty years or longer. They'll likely cost you more as they are custom fabricated, but they can be built to an even high specifications provided you wish to pay the bill.

Our neighbors once had a washing machine water hose break while they were on vacation. The damage that it did to the house was unbelievable. Changing hoses is just a small cost compared to paying to have your house repaired after a flood!

I bought 2 sets some months back. The one set is on my old washer in the basement that is 25 years old and had the original hoses on them. I just switched them out. The other set I gave to my plumber a few weeks ago. When he saw them he said they looked like high pressure hoses (I think thats what he said). I believe I paid $35 for a 5' set. There was probably a shipping charge too.

Did a ton of analysis on this before I went with a traditional SS with a 90 degree angle on it to reduce stress going into the washing machine.

I wanted a WATTS with 90 degree "drawn" elbow. That's what i ordered. Lame 3rd party Amazon seller sent an Eastman model with what looks like are "stamped", possibly forged SS right angle, a HARD right angle instead of drawn.

Anyway the problem with FloodSafe is really actually two problems:

1) False positives - which I'd get a ton of because I currently go through fits of low / no water pressure, which then return with a surge, and that would have tripped it. So I'd have to remove it to reset it frequently. This apparently was a problem with other people as well who didn't have my low water pressure problem. (And that makes sense... If your washer was on the 2nd floor and someone flushes toilet and uses sink on the 1st floor, the pressure at your washer could plummet unless you have really high water pressure... And again a surge of pressure would shut it off)

2) I believe it only works with a surge from a burst. A small leak would not be detected? And over time, small leaks un-noticed can be worse than a bust that you do notice immediately.

Doesn't really matter - FloodChek appears to have gone out of business. Their website has said they won't have the hoses back in stock for 4 to 6 weeks but it's said that for 6 months, and the story stays the same ! You can order them and pay for them but they never arrive, so you'll end up having to dispute the charge with your credit card company. No emails or phone calls are answered, which is usually the kiss of death. Probably waiting for someone else to come along and buy the company.

I lived the nightmare of braided stainless steel hoses failing.. in my situation, the hot water feed to the washing machine sprung a leak through the wall of the hose. This happened when I was at work, so the HOT water was flowing for hours before I got home. It was a 3-month ordeal to dry out the interior and replace hardwood floors, etc. My insurance company tried to recoup some damages from the manufacturer of the stainless braided hoses, to no avail. I purchased Floodchek hoses after that experience AND I turn off the water valves to the washer whenever I'm finished using it. My advice is to use the best hoses you can afford AND change them out before you have a problem (preventive maintenance) AND turn off the supply valves when washer is not in use.